Senior Manager of Purchasing

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Directly manages and develops Purchasing Managers and/or Supervisors, providing coaching, performance feedback, and structured development plans.
• Fosters a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and professional growth within the purchasing team.
• Identifies and develops high-potential team members for future leadership roles.
• Effectively manages remote employees across multiple locations, maintaining team alignment, engagement, and performance standards.

Purchasing Operations

• Oversees day-to-day purchasing operations to ensure on-time, accurate, and cost-effective procurement of materials and goods.
• Establishes and enforces purchasing policies, procedures, and work instructions to drive consistency and reduce error rates.
• Pairs with the Supply Chain Analytics team to leverage data and reporting in support of purchasing decisions.
• Manages vendor relationships and monitors supplier performance against defined KPIs.

Systems & Process Excellence

• Serves as a functional expert in Prophet 21 (P21), leveraging system capabilities to optimize purchasing workflows, reporting, and data integrity.
• Pairs with Data Management and Analytics teams to support Power BI dashboard development and ensures data accuracy.
• Leads continuous improvement initiatives to streamline purchasing processes and eliminate waste.
• Identifies gaps in current processes and work instructions and drives structured remediation efforts.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborates with Warehouse/Logistics, Sales, and Finance to align purchasing activities with broader organizational goals.
• Provides regular reporting and updates to the Senior Director of Supply Chain on team performance, operational metrics, and key initiatives.
• Supports inventory management strategies in partnership with the Supply Chain Analytics team.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Industrial Distribution, or a related field preferred. Equivalent experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
• Experience: Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in purchasing or supply chain roles within a B2B distribution environment. Minimum of 3 years in a supervisory or management capacity with demonstrated success developing and leading teams. Proven experience managing remote or geographically dispersed employees. Expert-level proficiency with Prophet 21 (P21) ERP system required.
• Skills & Abilities: Strong leadership and team development skills with the ability to coach, influence, and hold teams accountable. Proficiency in data analysis and reporting tools including Power BI and advanced Excel (Pivot Tables, Power Query). Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present data and recommendations to senior leadership. Demonstrated ability to lead process improvement initiatives and implement sustainable operational changes. Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. Ability to build and maintain effective vendor and cross-functional relationships.